Forgive me America

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Monday, November 30, 2009

User-submitted story by Edward Wells

To every citizen of the United States

I would like to take this opportunity to ask for your help. My name is Edward Allen Wells II, I'm thirty five years old and I was born on September 4th 1974, In San Antonio, Texas. I had a real terrible child hood, it was unstable, violent and depressing. I didn't have the opportunity to finish high school and we moved so much that I was never able to keep friends. My mother tried her hardest to protect us and provide for us but she needed help so I grew up fast.

I married young in hope to create the family I didn't have as a child. I married my high school sweet heart and we had a wonderful son together. I had a hard job as a plumber's helper, digging ditches and carrying the heavy stuff. After my mother picked up and moved to Missouri, I soon followed. I found work in Jackson Missouri making good money, so I moved my family there. After putting long hours as a security guard for Proctor and Gamble, during the flood of 93, My wife found comfort from another man. I sent my wife back to Texas to live with her folks while I had time to sort the situation out, but before I had time to talk to her she filed for a divorce in Texas, stating that I had abandoned them. This was not true and when I called her lawyer they said they could not help me. Poor and unable to hire my own lawyer I was stuck. My wife remarried and let her new husband adopt my son. I found that this was possible in the State of Texas by posting an add in the local paper for my response. I was in Missouri, I didn't receive the local paper from down there so I didn't have the chance to respond. My ex-wife just kidnapped my child and even changed his name. I asked for help but no one would give it.

I was now depressed more then ever, I felt that I was incapable of happiness. Then came my second wife and a chance to prove that happiness was possible. She joined the Army and we moved to Germany were she was always deployed to some place or another. After she had a miscarriage, we both kind of started to drift away from one another. My depression was kicking back and forth. I moved back to the States to find better work and await her arrival. I found employment in the Rent to Own business and worked my way up into management. When my wife returned we were doing pretty good, until I got a call from the Army wanting me to come in for some tests. They said that my wife tested positive for a STD and they wanted to check me. I was negative, they said that it was a sexually transmitted disease and my wife tested positive for it and due to her lack of attention to the disease she was no longer able to have children.

My heart fell and hung heavily with sadness. Shortly after that I was fired due to lack in performance. I was so depressed. I moved back to Missouri to be around family, I even tried opening a business with my parents. In 2000 we bought a check cashing store in Cape Girardeau, Missouri hoping this would help me forget that I haven't seen or heard from my son, both of my ex-wives had cheated on me, and any attempt to find happiness would be foiled, But I was wrong! I did something stupid I drowned my sorrows by buying friends and lost all the money I had for the store little by little. I was on a self destruct mode. I even committed a crime in a poor attempt to keep my friends, how sad I had become. I entered a plea of guilty to stealing money from Western Union in the form of wire transfers. I was sentenced to five years for a class C felony. I served three years on that five year sentence first time down. I received my punishment, I lost everything I owned and everything I was trying to accomplish.

The next three years I was locked behind bars I had fallen as far as one man can fall. I took the time to reflect on me, I joined several programs in prison and have the certificates to show for it. I obtained my GED and received a scholarship from the State of Missouri for a very high score. I tutored inmates and helped over a sixty people receive their GED. I was ordered to completed a one year long drug treatment facility and wasn't even sent to prison for drugs. While I was in "treatment" My son found out the truth about his real dad and his grandma was able to help him find me, I was able to talk to a young man I didn't know but knew he was my son. I was so happy that day, I cried the whole time I talked to him. I started to receive pictures and letters from him. I was happy and sad at the same time.

I paroled out in 2004 and moved in with my real father to try and get to know him and started to build a relationship. I took advantage of the scholarship, I attended school at Three Rivers Community College I have received 9 college credit hours and maintain a 4.0 gpa, not much but it was a start. I had trouble finding work because of my record. I worked as a mechanic, millwright, mason, carpenter, tree trimmer, and a forklift operator. I have found myself being terminated and laid off due to shortages, felony policies, and the excuse that they were unable to insure me because I was a felon.

In December of 08 I was laid off because the company I worked for lost their contract and the new one wouldn't take felons. So I tried to join the Army. After being told I wasn't excepted because I was a felon, I started wondering were my life is going to end up, depression started to creep up and take hold of me.

I was losing my small bond with my son, I wasn't able to buy things for his birthday or Christmas, I couldn't drive to Texas to visit or watch his football games. This still brings tears to my eyes. Then this past Easter I shattered my ankle building a bomb fire for the family. I have been laid up for almost 8 months. Unemployed and needing to build my life back, I made a decision to go to back school, to better my life, to do what I really like and that is to work on bikes. My sister let me use her Harley to get my motorcycle license, I fell in love with them and wanted to learn to work on them ever since. I applied to MMI in Orlando FL. To get my PhD in Harley Davidson Mechanics. Now I told them about my record and their school policy is no more then two felonies and it has to be reviewed by a board. I submitted all the paper work and paid the fee. Just to be told that I was not able to attend because of my background. My counselor pleaded with the board to look me over one more time, to give me a second chance. I'm not a violent or dangerous man. My family thinks its unfair, I think it's unfair. I did my time, I gave back to society, all I want is a fair chance at my civil liberties. I want to be able to provide for my loved ones. Its been nine years since I committed that crime and have kept a clean record ever since. With out this chance I don't know what lays ahead for me.

I'm asking for help from anyone who can help me. I deserve a second chance, I am a good person.

To you, who has the power, I beg you for your help, for your compassion and understanding in a chance to prove my self and provide a better life for those around me.

To the Governor of Missouri, I hope you are a man of reason and compassion. I would like to thank you for your efforts and hard work. Please forgive me for my past and allow me the chance to prove to you and the rest of the good State of Missouri that I have changed.

To the President, you took an Affirmation and swore to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States. I am an American true blooded, I have a lot of family buried on this soil, who fought for this soil and died for this great country. Please pardon me so I may have the chance to better myself and provide the best possible life for the ones I love.

To every citizen of the United States please forgive me for my actions, give me another chance, please!

To my family, thank you for your forgiveness and help you have given me. I couldn't have made it this far without you.

Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.

Edward:

First of all, what really sticks out when I read your story is that you feel sorry for yourself. I've heard this from cons before--the sad story of their past, how life has treated them poorly. Edward, I have news for you--many people have some very hard treatment as children that affects them their entire lives but they don't do what you have done nor do they feel sorry for themselves. They pick themselves up and they do the best they can. They offer something to society, they don't have to pay it back. They don't blame others for their own offences. You write that your second wife had an std. First of all, why would a decent man be writing that about a woman they've been involved with. How do we know that you didn't give it to her? We don't know both sides of any of your story. What it sounds like to me is just another con.

There are some inconsistencies in your story. I can only find one felony listed on casenet in Missouri-for stealing in May of 2001-that's not 9 years ago, that's a little over 8 years. The other charges I found against you were misdemeanors. So did you commit these other felonies you talk about in another state and what were they?

You might want to check some of your spelling-- "bomb fire"-- or have someone else proofread your work.

Bottom line Edward-you sound like just another whiny conman to me. Take another hard, close look at yourself, take ownership for your own actions, stop blaming others, become a man.

The laws and policies that you are complaining about were put in place for a reason--to keep conmen from ruining the lives of other people. Think about it.